Immersive conference: Transforming an entire company in one day
When our client, one of the UK’s leading real estate consultancies, developed a new business strategy, which included the introduction of a new set of values and company restructure, they recognised that making change happen effectively would require a complete shift in mindset and behaviour at all levels of the business.
We were asked to plan, design, manage and deliver a one-day conference with the objective of effectively conveying to all 550 employees the company’s vision and aspirations for the future as well as celebrating 185 years of business. The challenge we set ourselves was to provide a creative and immersive conference experience that would bring to life our client’s values and make them relevant and tangible in the most engaging, fun and inspiring way possible. The conference had to be dynamic and interactive, active, encouraging participation, conversation and collaboration – essentially, everything the delegates wouldn’t be expecting!
The Solution
Excited by the brief, the MGN team set to work to devise an event that would engage and inspire. Finding the right venue would be key to facilitating all of our creative ideas and, following an extensive venue search, serendipity led us to The Brewery in London’s Chiswell Street. Built in the 18th century, it was the first mass-production brewery in the UK, the perfect venue for a company whose founder had the choice of becoming a chartered surveyor or brewer – a fascinating snippet of history that is acknowledged today in the name of the company’s in-house coffee shop, The Brewery.
The size and versatility of the venue was ideal for the agenda we had planned. Carefully curated to provide a balance of business and fun, the conference would be a mix of informative plenary sessions to convey the key business messages, team-building exercises and six activations that would focus on each of the company’s new values. The venue’s largest space, the Porter Tun, would be used for the plenary sessions and the smaller rooms were perfect for the activations.
We worked closely with our client’s in-house graphic designer to develop the futuristic Nexus 2030 event brand which would encapsulate the connection between the company’s mission, vision and values and future aspirations. The branding was then applied throughout the venue, from welcome signage and branded reception desk to signage for each of the activation zones. We also created bespoke animations that were displayed on the main plenary screen and digital displays that were positioned throughout the venue.
On the day, our team was on hand to meet and greet delegates as they arrived to register and receive their name badges and LED lanyards. Roaming moonbot stilt walkers created visual impact right from the start and created a great sense of anticipation. Drinks and breakfast bites were served before everyone was invited to enter the Porter Tun where we had installed an impressive stage set that featured a huge 9m LED wall and projected branded custom gobos for added effect. When everyone had taken their seats the conference opened with a spectacular LED glow poi show featuring two performers, and incorporating the company logo and images that represented the new values.
Our next surprise was a special guest appearance by Abandoman, a unique and razor-sharp comedian who combines humour and rap music. He literally threw a one-person music festival and every single song was improvised. Brilliantly weaving in the company’s values to his performance, he also persuaded delegates to join him on stage and become part of the act. His energy and enthusiasm was contagious and he really connected with the audience.
Delegates were definitely wowed by this unexpected start to the day’s proceedings! And there was more surprise when everyone’s lanyards simultaneously lit up in a range of six colours. The colours represented the groups in which delegates would be for the activations.
The plenary sessions were delivered professionally and confidently. We had provided support in the preparation of slides for the various presentations and our production team ensured that every presenter was well prepared, with comfort monitor, countdown timer and clicker. We also helped devise scripts for the conference hosts, all of whom were company employees, which made for smooth transitions from one session to the next. To add further value to the day, we set up a camera at the back of the event space to record all of the content and presentations for post-event recaps and marketing.
To kick off the afternoon’s proceedings, our second special guest took to the stage after lunch. Motivational speaker Jamil Qureshi is highly respected and world-renowned for his expertise in performance psychology. Having made his mark in the sports world, his knowledge of what it takes to beat the competition and be the best has translated effortlessly to the business environment, the perfect speaker for a company aiming high. His talk naturally drew on our client’s new strategy and values, but more than that, the way in which he showed that every single person in the company has a part to play was compelling and inspiring.
Embedding the company’s new values in everyone’s minds was an opportunity for us to link each value with an activity that would encourage participation and be fun, whilst also delivering a core business message – this is where our creative thinking really came to the fore. This element of the conference also presented our biggest logistical challenge. Not only did we need to ensure a smooth flow of delegates moving through the venue as they visited the different activation zones, we also needed to ensure sufficient time for each activation to be really effective and we had a strict deadline by which to clear the venue – superb time management was essential. Each of the six activation rooms had a linked PA system with mixing desk and microphones and special sound effects signalled the beginning and end of each session. Our zone leaders were then able to efficiently manage the groups from one space to another.
The main plenary space doubled up as an activation zone and the company’s first value, ‘disrupt status quo’, was designed as a bespoke gameshow. The group was split into teams and we ran a quick-fire interactive session that incorporated both company-specific knowledge and general knowledge and designed in a way to deliberately ‘disrupt’ and challenge normal ways of thinking. The second value ‘captivate clients’ was embodied by an intriguing magic show that featured two magicians, followed by a demonstration of a trick that delegates could learn and perform to others.
Sustainability is integral to the how the business operates and the value of ‘sustainability matters’ was brought to life in several ways, including two smoothie bikes that delegates could take turns pedalling to make smoothies and wildflower seed ball box giveaways that helped to promote how the company had offset the carbon footprint of the conference. Having recently achieved B-Corp certification, our client also wanted to ensure everyone was aware of this new status and delegates donned silent disco headphones so that they could listen to a specially produced video that was running on a large screen.
A game zone with a mix of frenetic challenges perfectly summed up the value ‘resilience drives results’. A pitstop challenge, ball sorting and pyramid cup stacking tested both speed and resilience in a fun – and sometimes competitive – way. ‘Connect to innovate’ was all about matching keys to padlocks that had been randomly handed out as delegates entered the room – the mission was to unlock every padlock. This particular zone also included a 360° video booth and a hosted bespoke spin the wheel challenge that we designed around the company’s CRM system to deepen knowledge. The sixth value, ‘passion powers performance’, was represented by a human orchestra, with delegates developing their own sounds, be it clapping hands, stamping feet or using voices, and working towards the creation of a team soundscape.
Naturally, keeping delegates fed and energy levels high was important and we worked closely with the venue to provide refreshments and food throughout the day. Coffee, tea and soft drinks were available during the morning and afternoon breaks and lunch was a delicious selection of street food, which meant we could ensure all dietary requirements, such as vegetarian and vegan, were catered for. And what better way to end the conference than a celebratory drink before everyone headed home.
As well as having the satisfaction of seeing how every single delegate entered into the spirit of the day and really enjoyed themselves, there was plenty of positive feedback. Delegates particularly commented on how the experience had changed their whole view of the business and now had real understanding of how the new values apply to their day-to-day work.
“Thank you all so much for making the Nexus 2030 conference a reality – it was safe to say the event was a hit and we’ve had great feedback.
The day ran really smoothly considering we had to move over 400 people from room to room. Every activation hit the mark and combined fun with a meaningful message.”
